Acetylene-generator.



Y 0. Z.x FRAZIER.

ACETYLENE GENERATOR.

APPLlcATmN FILED MAM, i918.

Patented Oct. 29, 1918...

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

h w my@ O. Z. FRAZIER.

ACETYLENE GENERATOR.

APPLICATloN man MAY 4, 1918.

Patnted Oct.' 29, 1918..

2 SHEETSHSHEET 2.

NETE@ STATE@ PATENT @FFl ORVLLE Z. FRAZIER, OF ELKHART, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JAMES F, BOYER, OF ELKHART, NDIANA.

ACETYLENE- GENERATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 29, 1918,

Application filed May 4, 1918. Serial No. 232,577.

y erators of the automatic type wherein the carbid is intermittently fed to the gas-generator chamber through operating .means controlled by the pressure Vof the gas in the generator chamber. The acetylene generator of the present invention has been designed more particularly for use as a portable generator adapted to be carried on a motor vehicle and to supply gas for either or both of the propulsion and lighting systems of such a vehicle. In the designing of this generator I have had in view itsadaptability to cordinate and coperate with a complete system of propulsive equipment for motor vehicles using acetylene gas for which l have lodged application on an internal combustion engine, SerialNo. 208,340, iled`December 22, 1917, a fuel control valve for internal combustion engines, Serial No. 211,062,7liled January 9, 1918, and a pressure regulator, Serial No. 232,578, filed May 4,

.. 191.8; but it should be`understood, of course,

that the generator of the present invention is in no wise limited or restricted to use in and as a part of such system, but is capable of independent use in any situation or relation where a generator of this general type can be advantageously employed.

' Among the objects of the invention are, to provide a simple and compact gas generator well adapted to be mounted and card ried on a motor vehicle, to provide an improved construction of gas-generating chamber designed to resist undue splashing and,

churning of the contents thereof when the vehicle 1s 1n motion on rough roads, to proy vide an improved means for supplying water to the gas-generating chamber when required, to provide an improved meansfor extracting air from the gas-generating chamber preliminary to the generation of gas therein, to provide an'improved intermittent actuating mechanism for the carbid feed valve responsive to and controlled by the pressure of the gas, and generally to provide a portable acetylene gas generator of a unit type of construction occupying Fig. 2 is a central vertical section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a detail elevation of parts shown at the right of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 `is a detail section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, designates as an entirety a generation tank preferably of the cylindrical form shown, having an opening 11 in its top side, and an inclined drain passage 12 on its' lower side closed at its lower end by a plug 13. Within the tank rality of transverse Walls 15 extending from the top of wall 14 approximately to the bottom of the tank, these transverse walls be ing preferably of increasing length from the center toward the ends of the tank as shown. This division of the generation chamber in to a considerable number of relatively small communicating chambers effectively checks undue splashing of the water when a vehicle carrying the generator is driven over rough roads. i

Superposed on and secured to the generation tank by screws 16 is a. casting comprising a hollow base portion 17, an intermediate or waist portion 18 forming a valve casing, and an upper outwardly flaring portion 19 forming a carbid hopper. In the lower side of the valve casing 18 is a discharge port 20, and journaled in opposite ends of the valve casing is an oscillatory valve 21 adapted, when inverted, to deliver measured charges of carbid through the discharge port 2O into the generation tank 10. On the top of the hopper is a filling neck 22 that may be closed and sealed by a lid 23, washer 24, and pivoted clamping bolts 25. The hopper is preferably provided in one end wall thereof with a window 26', through which the height and amount of carbid in the hopper may be readily observed. On one end of the valve 21 is a stem 26 carrying a nut 27 and washer 28 at its outer end, and a spring 29, surrounding the stein 26 and confined endwise betweenl the washer 28 and a washer 30 that bears against the end wall of the valve casing, serves to maintain the correct position of the valve in its bearings. A housing 31 preferably incloses these last named parts.

32 designates a water tank that is secured to one side of the carbid hopper and has in its top wall a. filling cloning closed by a plug` 33. A pipe 34 lealls from the bottoni of the water tank 32 into one side of the hollow base casting 17 that is open to the generation tank, and in this pipe 34 is a cut-off valve or cock 35. 36 designates another pipe that at one end enters the hollow base casting 17 and at its other end connects by a Tcoupling 37 with a pipe line' 33 which latter, at its upper end leads to' the atmosphere and at its lower end is connected to an air pump 39. In the pipe 36 is a manually operable cut-off valve 40 and an outwardly opening check valve 41. 42 designates another pipe that enters the upper end of the water tank 32 and, at its outer end connects by a T-coupling 43 with the pipe 38. In the` pipe 42 is a manually operable cut-ofi' valve 44. ln thepipe 38, `between the lcouplings 37 and 43, is anupwardly opening check valve 45;v and in the same pipe, abovev the 'lu-coupling, 43 isa manually operable cut @E valve 46;

Referring next to the valve operating mechanism of the carbid feed, which is automatically controlled'by the pressure of the generated gas, on one end wall of the carbid hopper is a gear casing 47 that, in turn, supports, a housing 48 for an electric motor 49, the armature shaft 50 ofwhich, through a gear train 51, 52, 53 andv 54, turns the valve, 21; the gear 5.4 being secured directly to one end of the valve body. face of the gear 54 is secured a gear 55 meshing, with a slightly larger gear 56 beneath the same and, fast on a shaft 57 that is-jourria-led in the outer wall of the gear casing 47. On the outer end of the shaft` 5.7 is. an

arm 58, the outer end of which. is connected to. theflower end of' a tensile spring 59, theV upper end' of the latter being anchored at By reference-to 60 to the motor casing. Fig` 4 it will be lobserved that. the gearI 54,

which is secured to the valve 21,. islonlye a. half-gear3fthat is, it has teeth extending through approximately one half'. ofA` its'V pe;-

riphery. lt will further be observed that; the teeth on` gears 53 and 54 are of rounded.

form, enabling them to readily pass, into and out'of mesh with earch other as the gears are: turned' without clashing.

Secured' to one side of the hollenT base` casting 17 is a tubular member 61, from which On the outer` leads a pipe 62 through which the gas is led offto a point of use either directly or through a suitable pressure regulator, such as that disclosed in my copending application, Serial No, 232,578, hereinabove referred to. Gn the outer end of the tubular member' 61, and preferably formed as an integral extension thereof, is a cylinder 63, to the outer end of which is secured a cap piece 64 having` a bore 65 in axial alinenient lwith the" cylinder 63 and also a-smaller axial bore 66, in which latter is guided the stem 67 of a piston `68 fittingV lai-id operatingA in the cylinder 63. The compression spring 69 above the piston 68 normally forces the latter downwardly. Keyed, to the stem 67 'is .a disk 70 of ,hard rubber or another nonfconductor of electricity which carries in its periphery a ring- 71 of copper or another conducting material. The. disk Oland its4 ring 71 are slid.- able within thebore 65 of the cap 64,; and mounted in the side wallsy of the. cap 64 at opposite points are contact members 7 2 and 73 suitably insulated from the walls of the cap.

74y designates conventionally a. sourceof electric current, such as a dynamo or battery, from one side of which leads a circuit wire 7 5, containing a manually operable switch 76, to the motor 49.. The return `wire 77 from the motor leads through contact 7 2. contact ring 71, contact 73, and wire 7 8 back to the other side of the lgenerator 74. The circuit is, therefore, closed when the contact ring 71 is engaged with the stationary contacts 72 and 73.

The generator isl charged and operated substantially as follows: The lid 23 is: withdrawn, and the carbid hopper is filled with carbid, and the cap then` replaced and tight ened to its; seat. The plug 33 ofthe. water tank is then removed, and thetank- 32 filled with water. The valve35 is then opened, allowing they water to run into and fill the ,generation tank tok about the level indicated in` the drawings, the valvey 35 being then closed. Thel tank 32 is next refilled with water and theplu-g 33 replaced. Valve 44 is next opened and valve 46 closed, and the pump 39 is then operated to createv an air pressure above the water in` the tank 32. The valve 44 is then closed toseal the pres surein the waterV tank, and., the valves 40 and 4,6 are opened, and` the: pump again operated. Iny this operationthe pump: actsto suck air out, of thegeneration tank through pipe; 36 and dischargeth-is air through pipe 38m the atmosphere; In this operation.V the check valve745-iconlines the; suction stroke of the pumptol the generationtank, and the check valve .411. prevents` the air; fromV returning, to: the generation tankon the inward stroke of the;A pump piston. The valve 40 is then closed, and the generator is ready for work.

Thel switch 76 having been closed, the moico 1,es2,soo

tor 49 is energized, and, through the gear train 51, 5 2, 53, 54, rocks the carbid valve 2l through a half revolution; the turning movement of the valve being thus limited by half-gear 54. During this operation, Athe arm 58 is rocked through about 160 to the point indicated by dotted'lines in Fig. 3, thereby placing the spring 59 under tension. The continued idle rotation of the gear 53 prevents the return movement of the valve under the influence of spring 59 until the pressure in the generator chamber has arisen to such a point that, acting on the piston 68, it forces the contact ring 71 out of engagement with the stationary contacts 72 and 73, thereby breaking the motor circuit and automatically stopping the motor. This permits the reaction of the spring 59 to restore the valve 2l to upright or carbid receiving position, so that the chamber of the valve is refilled. The motor remains idle until the pressure of gas has fallen sufficiently to again close the circuit, Whereupon the described cycle of operations is repeated, and another charge of carbid is deposited in the generation tank.

When it is necessary to refill the generation tank, the sludge is withdrawn by removing the plug 13 and allowing the tank to drain. The valve 35 is then opened, and the air pressure above the water in the tank 32 forces this water down into the generation tank against such gas pressure as may exist in the latter. The water tank is then relled and the air pressure applied thereto in the manner already described.

As hereinabove stated, this generator has been designed more especially with reference to its adaptability for service on motor vehicles to supply gas for either power or lighting purposes or both. It will be readily seen that the generator possesses a very compact and self-contained character, is automatic in respect to the carbid feed, and, by reason of provision for eliminating` air and keeping it out of admixture with the `gas, is entirely safe and may be employed to generate very considerable pressures. It will be manifest to those skilled in this art that the details of construction and arrangement may be considerably varied from those shown without involving any departure from the principle of the invention or sacriiicing any of the advantages thereof; hence I do not limit the invention to the precise construction herein shown and described but reserve all such variations and modiiicatipns as fairly fall within the spirit and purview of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In an acetylene generator, the combination of a carbid hopper, a generation tank beneath said hopper, an intermittently acting measured-charge feed valve between said hopper and said tank, a motor for actuating said valve from carbid-receivingl to carbid-discharging position, means actuated by the generated gas for de'e'nergizing said motor when the gas pressure rises above a predetermined limit, and automatic means for returning said valve to carbid-receiving position.

2. In an acetylene gene ator, the combination of a carbid hopper, a generation tank beneath said hopper, a measured-feed carbid valve between said hopper and said tank, an electric motor for actuating` said valve from carbid-receiving to carbid-discharging position, means actuated by the generated gas for denergizing said motor when the gas pressure rises above a predetermined limit, and a spring for returning said valve to carbid-receiving` position.

3. In an acetylene generator, the combination of a carbid hopper, a generation tank beneath said hopper, a measured-feed carbid valve between said hopper and said tank, an electric motor for actuating said valve for carbid-receiving to carbid discharging position, means actuated by the generated gas for breaking the circuit of said motor when the gas pressure rises above a predetermined limit, and a spring tensioned by said motor serving te return said valve to carbid-receiving position.

li. In an acetylene generator, the combination of a carbid hopper, a generation tank beneath said hopper, a measured-feed carbid valve between said hopper and said tank, an electric motor, a self-arresting transmission from said motor to said valve operative to actuate the latter from carbidreceiving to carbid-discharging position, means actuated by the generated gas for breaking the circuit of said motor when the gas pressure rises above a predetermined limit, and a spring tensioned by said motor serving to return said valve to carbid-receiving position.

5. In an acetylene generator, the combination of a carbid hopper, a generation tank beneath said hopper, an oscillatory measured-feed carbid valve between said hopper and said tank, an electric 'motor, a selfarresting transmission from said motor to said valve operative to turn the latter to discharge position, means actuated by the generated gas for breaking the circuit of said motor when the gas pressure rises above a predetermined limit, and a spring tensioned by said motor through said transmission and acting, when the motor circuit is broken, to return said valve to carbidreceiving position.

6. In an acetylene generator, the combination of a carbid hopper, a generation tank beneath said hopper, a carbid feed valve between said hopper and said tank, a water tank, a delivery pipe from said water tank to Said generation tank, a valve in said pipe,

iso

means for supplying colnpresseduair above the Water in' said Water tank, and means for exhausting,- air from Said generation tank.

7. In an acetylene generator, the combination of a carbid hopper, a generation tank beneath said hopper, a carbid feed valve between said hopper and said tank, a Water tank, a delivery pipe from Said Water tank to said generation tank, a valve in said pipe, a pipe line open at one end to the atmospbere, a pump connected to thecther` end of said pipe line, brancbfk pipes cone'cting-v pipe line and branch pipes, whereby` said pump may supply compressed. air above the Water in Said Water tank andmay also exhaust air from said generation tank.

ORVILL'E Z. FRAZIER;

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Gommissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

